Talk about deja vu. Saturday night's Independent Spirit Awards honored films that were produced by smaller, supposedly "independent" movie studios. Ironically, Sunday night's 78th Academy Awards ceremonies did as well.
In previous years, the Oscars have gone to movies that were bankrolled by the larger, major studios. But this year's Oscars were dominated by the "indies" — with two such films, "Crash" and "Brokeback Mountain" — each taking three awards.
The Best Picture win for "Crash," co-screenwriter/director Paul Haggis's dramatic thriller about racial tensions in Los Angeles, was seen as a surprise, since the highly touted "Brokeback Mountain" was a heavy favorite in that category.
"Crash" producer Cathy Schulman thanked the other nominees who "made this year one of the most breathtaking, maverick years in filmmaking." The film also won for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.
As for "Brokeback Mountain," the controversial but acclaimed drama about the decades-long love affair between two Wyoming shepherds, it won for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.
Taiwanese-born filmmaker Lee thanked the film's main characters, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, whom he said taught the world "about the greatness of love itself."
The highly touted "Brokeback" also failed to score in any of the four acting categories. Heath Ledger lost out to "Capote" star Philip Seymour Hoffman in the Best Actor race.
The clearly flustered Hoffman, who played openly gay writer Truman Capote in the film, paid tribute to his fellow nominees by saying, "I'm in a category with some great, great actors . . . and I'm overwhelmed."
As for Ledger's on-screen and off-screen partner, Michelle Williams, she failed to win Best Supporting Actress, though she was nominated. Rachel Weisz, from "The Constant Gardener," was the winner in that category.
While Hoffman and Weisz are not exactly household names, a couple of major stars did get a taste of Oscar gold. Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress for her portrayal of the late June Carter Cash in the musical biography "Walk the Line." Witherspoon paid tribute to her co-stars and filmmaker James Mangold, as well as Carter and her husband, Johnny Cash, who fittingly enough had "an incredible tradition of honoring other artists."
And "Syriana" co-star George Clooney won Best Supporting Actor, one of three nominations he received this year (the others were for "Good Night, and Good Luck," his directorial debut, which he also co-wrote). "OK, so I'm not winning (best director)," he joked.
Comic pundit Jon Stewart hosted the event. There were some worries about Stewart, who also hosts Comedy Central's often politics-heavy program "The Daily Show." But instead he and the Oscars kept the politicking to a minimum, at least by Hollywood's usual standards.
The first-time host's riff-laden routines were filled with good-natured jabs directed toward the star-studded crowd in Hollywood's Kodak Theater. And in a rather self-deprecating moment, he wondered aloud how the hosting role fell to "the fourth-billed male lead from 'Death to Smoochy.' " The Jewish comedian also thanked director Steven Spielberg for making "Schindler's List" and "Munich," films that examined Jewish and Israeli history and issues.
"I can't wait to see what happens to us next," he said jokingly, while suggesting that Spielberg make another, similar film to comprise this proposed Jewish "trilogy."
But arguably his best moments came during the opening sequence, a filmed skit that saw such previous Oscar hosts as Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg — as well as Mel Gibson — supposedly turn this year's hosting gig down before it was offered to him.
Though Stewart was a breath of fresh air, the Oscar ceremony was still stuffy and bloated. As always, organizers had promised to cut the acceptance speeches short if needed, but somehow it still took presenters more than three hours to hand out two dozen awards, in addition to various tributes and an honorary Oscar given to veteran director Robert Altman.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com